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(No Model.)

L. M. CLEMENT & G. C. WATRISS.

GRIP FOR CABLE STREET RAILWAYS. 1110. 391,511. Patented Oct. 23, 1888.

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N. PETERS. whoxwm nm wm 'w o c UNITED STATES LEWIS M. CLEMENT, OFOAKLAND,

AND GEORGE C. VVATRISS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GRIP FOR CABLE STREET-RAILWAYS.

.SPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,511, dated October23, 18138.

Application filed May 23, 1888. Serial No. 294,865. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

r jaws apart and without the intervention of mechanism to throw asideeither the cable or the grip from their normal alignment, while at thesame time the grip-jaws and their operating mechanism may freely passthe ordinary depression -pulleys set at the vertical angles where theroad suddenly rises upon an upward grade without any mechanism beingused to set aside either these depression-pulleys to give passage to thegrip or the grip to escape contact with the pulleys.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure l is a transverse sectional elevation of a road-bed and subwaywith our invention applied therein. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thegrip, illustrating the means for operating the jaws. Fig. 3 is a plan ofthe lower part of the grip below the line 00 y in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the grip-jaws, showing how they interlock with eachother.

In all the figures the same letters of reference are used to indicatethe same parts.

In Fig. 1, A is the cable-subway, the particular construction of whichit is not necessary to describe, as any of the various systems ofconstruction will answer. B B are the trackrails. C is the axle, and C Care the wheels of the car, to the body of which the grip is secured. Dis one of the series of cable-carrying pulleys. E is thedepression-pulley, and F is the cable. All of these parts are as now inuse, and no change in their form or operation is involved in this tion.

G is the grip, the main feature of our improvement in which relates tothe jaws, which present invenare arranged to open apart vertically todrop the cable out from between them from below and freely pass thedepression-pulleys.

g is the stationary frame of the grip,secured in any of the known wayseither to the axles or to the floor of the car. This stationary framehas the usual notched quadrant at its upper end and carries one of thegrip-jaws,g.

This jaw may either form part of the frame 9, or it may be a separatepiece bolted thereto. It will, however, be stationary with relation tothe gripframe and project considerably sidewise therefrom. The opposingjaw, 9 is a vibrating jaw, and is pivoted or hinged to the jaw gsimilarly as the leaves of an ordinary door-hinge are connectedtogether, there being a center boss or lug on the vibrating jawprojecting between the two end bosses on the stationary jaw, a pin, 9being passed through the three bosses.

H is a vertically-moving flat bar guided be tween the two side legs ofthe grip-frame and the cross-bars I, which are secured to the car oraxles, as before suggested. This bar H is pivoted at its lower end tothe vibrating jaw g,and its upper end is connected through the links gto the operating-lever 9 The action is as follows: When theoperating-lever is thrown in the direction of the arrow-point,the barHis depressed and the gripjaws are closed to grip the cable. The pawl ofthe operating-lever,engaging with the ratchetteeth of the quadrant,holds the grip closed. When the cable is to be released, the pawl isdisengaged, the lever drawn back, and the jaws opened apart. 1f thecable is to be but temporarily released,i-t is not necessary to open thejaws more than is sufficient to allow it to pass between the jaws; butif the cable is to be released for a considerable time the jaws shouldbe opened enough to allow the cable to drop out entirely from betweenthem to rest upon the carrying-pulleys. Because the grip jaws areprojected sidewise a considerable distance from the frame of the grip,asbefore stated, and as shown in the figures of the drawings, it is easyto pass all the depression-pulleys that may be upon the road. All thatis necessary is to arrange that no part of these pulleys project withinthe path of the shank of the grip.

Of course we do not claim that a grip offset as ours is shown is in abroad sense new, for we are aware grips of this design have been in usefor many years; nor do we claim any novelty in the jaws being made todrop the cable from below, grips operating substantially the same inthis respect to our grip having been long in use.

What we claim as our invention, and desire I0 to secure by LettersPatent, is as follows:

A gripping device for cable-railways, consisting, essentially, of a pairof gripping-jaws separating from each other upon avertical line, onejawbeing immovable with relation to the grip-frame and secured to theimmovable part thereof, and the other jaw being hinged to this immovablejaw and connected with and vibrated by the vertically-moving bar of thegrip, both jaws being so offset from the grip-shank as to freely passunder the depression-pulleys set outside the path of the grip-shank, incombination with suitable operating mechanism, substantially asdescribed.

LEWIS M. CLEMENT. GEORGE O. \VATRISS. Witnesses:

GEORGE PARDY, F. T. NEWBERY.

